off-grid in australia

[retired profile of WrethaOffGrid]

Hi Lonnie,

I think we need more information about your wishes before anyone can give you advice or ideas…. are you wanting to put solar panels on a conventional house? Are you looking for more rural acreage? What are your thoughts about that? You mention wanting to do things legally, I think most people going off-grid do things in a legal manner, you will have to do some research where you live (or want to live) and learn what you can and can’t do. Typically the more rural you are, the farther you are from town, the more lenient the codes and laws tend to be about what you can and can’t do.

Wretha

[retired profile of WrethaOffGrid]

Good luck with your venture :)

Wretha

[Dovely]

I went to AZ from Cape Cod 25 years ago. I do love my time there. In the end was just too hot for me but it was a good 5 years. It is one of the most beautiful places to live. Look up around Cottonwood, Prescott or Hightop. You have a better chance of finding land with water on it. You do not want to have to haul all of your water. It gets ugly very soon. There may even still be abandoned towns for sale. There were lots of them in the early 90’s. The best way to find land is to take the time to drive and visit the small towns. It’s an ideal place fro earthbag or cob buildings. You may find a place with some buildings on it.

Plan on a good dog(s) to help protect you and your livestock. Get a pup(s) and train it well. I like a standard size collie and a scotty or westie. They both herd and the fight differently. Coyotes are crafty and relentless. They climb trees and almost always hunt in packs.  You will need welded wire not chicken wire for your runs. They also chew through wood if hungry enough. If food is short they will hunt night or day.

Study up on what breeds of animals and plants do better in the extreme temp. differences. If you want a goat I’d  go with a pair Nubians. There are lots of DIY swamp coolers on the net.

So yea water and coyotes are your big problems. Other than that just enjoy the amazing sky!

 

[GardensWaterwheels]

[GardensWaterwheels]

Not only will I need to find land where there is a perennial mountain stream running through it, but to make things as cheap as possible, this land will need to be fairly small in cost/size, one to two acres split between four people I plan, this makes it all the more difficult to find somebody selling one or two acres with a perennial mountain stream running through it! Wont you join me, on the perennial quest?

Perennial Quest

[Parsec]

Ok, this is my first post, your thread caught my eye being a creative of offbeat humoured person myself. In your shoes I’d look for some land that has its own water supply, a spring or well, you can hire someone to find water for you. Ty and choose somewhere that’s not inline of two towns in case a road is built in future across your land (this happens!). Level land is more expensive than hilly but land is the best material thing you can buy, better than gold, and that’s coming from someone who’s not particularly materialistic. While you’re saving and working in jobs you don’t like try and travel to places you might like to live at the weekend. I think everyone takes stock of their life when they get to a certain age, it’s just working out a plan of action.

[Parsec]

I had problems staying logged into the forum after registering today using Google Chrome. I tried Firefox and everything works perfect. I’m on Windows 8.1.

[Anonymous]

Hello new here, Im not single woman though, I really like your idea, I had the same idea but yours got my ball rolling of like minded people getting together, with everyone helping and teaching each other to live off-grid, growing our own food and raising some livestock, its hard to do alone, but its being done, inspired by sylvia’s post from 2013 living off-grid doing it on her own after husband passed away, my condolences to Sylvia and her family. Im researching and looking to buy 30 to 60 acres in the south eastern part of the U.S. where theres plenty of water, at this time anyway lol. The way the economy is right now its hard for people to transition over to off-grid and living off the land, tools and equipment needed for building, farming and maintaining equipment, even just buying land is hard enough then building is another story you might have enough for one but not the other, I am going to buy land regardless, anyone thats interested and I mean anyone, young, old, single, married, families that believe in humanity and respecting nature, that want to be part of a small community that helps protects each other, contact me, I am a mechanic, welder, plumber, electrician and carpenter, I will share/teach anyone anything I know and i’m always open to learning new things. Dan

[jengr]

Sorry, haven’t been on.  I just went to look for it and can’t find it, so they must expire?  All is well then :)

[jengr]

Are you referring to living on boats?  I’m not a candidate, just curious :)

[jengr]

Does this filter out aluminum and other toxins being sprayed around the globe?

[jengr]

Sorry to hear you’re feeling lost!  I’m sure many of us feel that way, regardless of whatever kind of community support we have.  I know I do; I live rurally but this agriculture country is getting sprayed twice as heavy as the nearby city with chemtrails.  In the last 2 years since I’ve been here my health as been a constant struggle.  Put me on a mountain top with 30lbs on my back for a few days and I’ll never tire or waiver.  I walk 1/4 mile in this town and my lungs close up and throw me into an asthma attack.  Not to mention other issues that have arisen.

So I know where you’re coming from, perhaps a bit.  Everyone’s inclined to pass things off.  I’m not a fan of the term “sheeple”, but too many are too ready to take whatever comes and just sit down in the face of crisis.  I live alone too, and the gnawing fear of knowing the air is poison, my skies are polluted, my land is dying, my soil is dying, my trees are dying, wanting to scream and claw my face because for once I just want to see the sun, but week after week it’s blotted out by the obsessive chemtrail spraying.  My only fix is leaving, heading to higher elevations, to national forests, even for a few hours or few days break to recharge.

Though we all start in different places and have different wants.  You sound like you’re not sure what you want.  I would do some serious thinking on this.  Natural living and electronics don’t exactly go hand in hand.  Literally they can, but ideally they should not.  Screen time is desperately  bad for our health.  That’s just my own opinion though.  Myself?  I’m self employed with online sales, so it’s an evil I endure grudgingly.  I for one would be happy to never see a screen or hear the whir of electronics again!  But to each their own.

It’s a tough process, and with little or no skill you’ll be hard pressed to find what you want.  My motto?  “Why not?”  I’m at a stage right now where I’m doing everything I can to gain experience; living alone, gardening, canning, freezing, preserving, raising livestock, nurturing the land, composting, downsizing, traveling, meditating and growing spiritually, building my own tools, out buildings, learning to fix things anyways even though you just don’t have what you need, herbalism and botany, hunting, the list goes on.

Get out, get your feet under you would be my advice.  Go for it, for something, for anything, and see if you like it.  If you don’t, well now you know!  The only place to start is at the beginning!

[Anonymous]

Hi Drew, I’m in the UK too. Whereabouts in the country are you?

I’m much older than you and have had very different experiences, but as I see it the modern way of life is not really good for anybody. Some people do seem to like it and thrive, but many are not happy or healthy.

Have a look at diggersanddreamers website, and maybe selfsufficientish.com – there are others too, do a few searches. There are quite a lot of like-minded people out there. There’s the WWOOF organisation, where you can go and help on an organic farm for the weekend, in exchange for good food and a bed for the night.

Hope you can find what you’re looking for.

Marc

[Anonymous]

They you need to forget subdivision and form a cooperation , and you buy a seat (along with a lot) on the board of directors. ie shareholder with voting right’s. The corp. collects and pays the land taxes and any other common expenses. Certain tools could be bought for the use of all, a backhoe would be a good example purchase, use and when everyone’s done sell.

[CadeJ]

I am living on a rural off-grid farm in the Caribbean where I get lots of time digging in the dirt and time to think. I recommend it to anyone. But, if I may, I have come to think the expression “it is all in your mind” has some truths that are not self-evident but worth considering:

1. happiness – the study of happiness economics suggests that happiness is relative to our expectations. If you have a suitably low expectation, then you will be happy when the world turns out better than expected! This sounds STUPID on the surface, but modern media gives us a subconscious glossy view of reality. After a few days dealing with intractable mud and ant-bites I discovered that there is NOTHING in the world more wonderful than a simple hot shower. A comfortable bed, and reliable meals are precious elements of the good life, but it is hard to maintain happiness about these things when they come so transparently.

2. love – religious folks preach that one should love his fellow man, and that generosity of spirit will be rewarded in the afterlife. More pragmatic philosophers suggest giving is its own reward. But these platitudes are difficult to internalize. I have come to realize that a loving and generous attitude creates internal happiness because when you are generous to others, you become generous toward yourself – you become more forgiving of your own shortcomings and disappointments. I do not mean you should delegate yourself to the couch-potato position and forgive yourself for succumbing, but don’t be harsh with yourself for the things you have not yet achieved.

So by all means, set goals and go after them! Make a plan (don’t just save money and hope an affordable plan finds you) and implement it. And more importantly, learn to enjoy every moment spent along the way – that is where your life is. :)

 

[Author]

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